Suicide Squad: Ayer Had Cast Fight Each Other

The whole cast of Suicide Squad really went the extra mile for the film

At this point, probably the most well-publicized thing about the upcoming Suicide Squad film is just how method Jared Leto went for the Joker to really dive into his role. But it turns out, just about everyone participated in behavior you don’t hear about on your average movie set.

David Ayer talked with Yahoo about many things pertaining to the upcoming film, such as having the actors punch each other in the face (no, seriously, and it’s not the first time he’s done this on a film either):

"The rehearsal was very intense. It wasn’t a normal rehearsal, we’d talk about their lives, their history, and really got them to open up as people to each other. I also had them fight. I had them fight each other. You learn a lot about who a person really is when you punch them in the face. It gets rid of a lot of the actor stuff."

Ayer also discussed his vision for what the character of The Joker is in Suicide Squad and what the deal with those tattoos are:

"A lot of it has to do with creating a character with some kind of history and footprint in our world. And not have this sacrosanct being outside of our continuum, our reality. If a guy like him really existed today, where would he come from? How would he do business? Who would he know? What would he look like? In my mind, I took a lot of inspiration from drug lords on Instagram. It’s a great way to understand the lifestyle of a villain.The tattoos tell a very specific story . And eventually people will decipher them and understand what’s going on, but obviously they’re contentious, any time you do something new it’s contentious. There’s very specific stories and easter eggs in those tattoos. And even his teeth, there’s an entire story behind that which is absolutely canon. It’s putting his history on his body. This Joker is a little more working class, who I believe could live in our world."

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Of course the internet nerd community has already spent hours upon hours trying to decipher the meanings of those tattoos and what story they tell (leading to things like the Joker is actually a former Robin theory). I don’t necessarily agree that the Joker should be a being who can live in our world. I mean, DC Comics might be a reflection of our world, but it’s always been a fantastical place, filled with powerful beings, incredibly places, and terrifying monsters. But hey, if all this leads to yet another great unique portrayal of the Joker fans will remember for years, I’m all for it. Suicide Squad opens in theaters August 5th.